Chapter 514
The night was as dark as ink. Underneath the elevated highway, beside a pond, insects chirped, and frogs croaked. The scent of fresh grass lingered in the air, blending with the night’s mist, touching their skin with a cold chill.
That chill seemed to seep into their hearts, stirring up fear.
Thalassa, with her four children and Evelyn, hid in a ditch beneath the highway.
In front of them, the pond shimmered in the moonlight, and its depth was concealed by the darkness, a sight that brought fear to their hearts.
Yes, fear.
She had noticed a line of black limousines in the traffic behind them, and it had filled her with dread.
At that moment, she decided to get out of the taxi.
Thankfully, it was nighttime. She and Evelyn managed to slip unnoticed from the taxi to the one up front.
Once the taxi had driven through the traffic lights, she realized that the driver would surely inform Lysander they had boarded his taxi.
If Lysander caught up with them, there would have been no escape.
So, she immediately told the driver to stop. They needed to get out.
The driver had initially refused. But Thalassa handed him a hundred dollars and told him to keep the change.
After they got out of the taxi, a bus pulled up.
Thalassa did not get on the bus, but it served as a perfect cover. She led her children and Evelyn, sneaking around the barrier and into the ditch beneath the highway.
The most dangerous places were often the safest.
Lysander would never think that after leaving the taxi, they had not fled but had stayed right where they were.
By the pond, beneath the grass, mosquitoes were swarming.
The children, with their higher body heat and tender skin, were prime targets.
Elowen was constantly scratching. Her soft voice carried a whimper as she spoke, “Mommy, it’s so itchy. I don’t want to stay here.”
“Mommy, I’m itchy too. I’ve got big bumps all over,” Sophia pouted, clearly distressed.
Dorian and Atticus were also stomping their little feet to shoo the mosquitoes away.
Thalassa drew Elowen and Sophia close, rubbing their exposed skin to keep the mosquitoes away and to soothe their itchiness. She was both sympathetic and helpless, “Just ten more minutes and we’ll leave, darlings. Can we hold on a bit longer?”
She didn’t want her children to be bitten by mosquitoes, and she didn’t want to be on the run with them.
But she had no choice. She was terrified of being found by Lysander.
She had given birth to his child in secret. If he caught them, not only would the children suffer, but she would also face severe punishment.
The memory of the pain Lysander had inflicted on her that morning was still fresh.
If Lysander caught them, she didn’t dare think of the consequences.
“Mommy, why are we hiding? Is someone trying to catch us?” Dorian asked, his young voice carrying a note of curiosity.
The children were young, but they understood more than they let on.
Before Thalassa could answer, Evelyn replied, “Don’t-overthink about it. Just stick with your mom, no matter what. As long as we’re together as a family, that’s all that matters.”
Deep down, Evelyn felt guilty. She believed that selling the dragon pendant Lysander had given Thalassa for three million dollars was the reason they were in that mess.
If they still had the money, they could have returned it. But then, the money had been swindled away.
She had no money to repay Lysander if he caught them.
Three million dollars.
She could never earn that much in her lifetime, not even if she sold herself.
Thalassa was wise to run. If Lysander couldn’t find them, maybe he would let it go.
In the dim moonlight, Thalassa looked at Evelyn, her feelings a mix of emotions. But Evelyn was right about one thing.
As long as they were together as a family, that was all that mattered.